Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is an evidence-based treatment modality that is built on the premise that thoughts have a significant impact on feelings and behaviors, and that by changing our thought patterns, we can improve the way we feel and act.  To change our thoughts, however, we must first identify what they are and the ways in which they may be doing us a disservice.  After all, you can’t trust everything you think!  Here are some common cognitive distortions to be mindful of:

Overgeneralizing – When we incorporate words like “always” or “never” into our vocabulary, we are often overgeneralizing.  This occurs when we detect a pattern and then overstate its frequency.  It is rare for something to hold true always or never.  For example, a teen might scream at her parent, “You never let me do anything!”  Having that thought might make the teen feel angry, wronged, or in despair.  However, it’s unlikely that the statement is factually accurate.  There have probably been occasions in which she was permitted to go out and do fun things.  A truer, more balanced thought might be, “You don’t let me go out as often as I’d like.”  By changing the thought, it reduces the intensity of the emotions from angry and despairing, to merely disappointed.

All-or-Nothing Thinking – This is the tendency to view situations in black-and-white – this or that – while ignoring the gray area.  However, few situations can be reduced to this level of simplicity; life is all about the subtle nuance!  For example, the perfectionist might think, “My essay is due tomorrow and I have no time to make it as good as I’d like, so I’m just not going to do it at all.”  Thinking in all-or-nothing terms (or in this case, thinking that something needs to be done perfectly or not at all), puts unnecessary and unhelpful demands on oneself.  Failing to do an assignment out of fear that it won’t be good enough will result in a failing grade.  However, by acknowledging the gray area – that getting a mediocre grade for mediocre work is still better than failing – the pressure and stress may be reduced.

Disqualifying the Positive – Just like the news tends to overfocus on the horrors of the world, our brains tend to do the same.  We are hardwired to fixate on negativity because it increases the odds that we will foresee any threats and danger and thus find a way to stay safe.  However, focusing solely on negatives and ignoring the positives is a great way to dampen one’s mood.  Not only that, it is also a distorted, inaccurate way of viewing the world or oneself.  The bad does not negate the good.  “Yes, I might have overcooked the Thanksgiving turkey and completely ruined it, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that I made amazing mac ‘n cheese and pumpkin pie!”

Catastrophizing – “Making a mountain out of a molehill.”  When we overdramatize or exaggerate the importance or impact of something, we are catastrophizing.  This can cause a lot of anxiety!  For example, a high-achieving teen might catastrophize when receiving a bad test grade.  He might think, “I’m so dumb!  Now I’ll never get into college!  My dreams of becoming an engineer are ruined and I’ll probably end up homeless.”  By blowing this one test grade way out of proportion, the teen is probably feeling scared and hopeless.  However, if the distorted thought is adjusted to something more accurate (e.g., “I thought I would have scored higher on that test.  Maybe I can retake it, and now I know I’ll need to study harder next time.”), the fear and hopelessness begin to dissipate.

Labeling – Labeling is a lot like name-calling, and it can be directed at yourself or others.  For example, you might have the thought, “I can’t believe I forgot my friend’s birthday.  I’m so self-absorbed.”  However, it’s neither fair nor accurate to assign a label and make a judgment on one’s character based on a single action.  Instead, a more helpful thought might be, “I can’t believe I forgot my friend’s birthday.  I must have been really busy and distracted that day.”

Many other types of cognitive distortions exist, but the thing that they all have in common is that they are somehow inaccurate, and such inaccuracies can have a significant impact on mood.  Remember, thoughts aren’t facts!

Ashley Kaplan, Psy.D.

Licensed Clinical Psychologist